Method of and apparatus for forming staple cordage



Aug. 9, 1955 w. w. DRUMMOND ET AL 2,714,797v

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING STAPLE CORDAGE Filed Dec. 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l '\\\-I14 .b': A: I

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METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING STAPLE CORDAGE Filed Dec. 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f g l F1514.

O TWISTER INVENTOR. Warren Wendell Orummand Ph/hp d. Fr/cker'f' w vQ/mw ATTQRMEYS United States Patent METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING STAPLE CORDAGE Warren Wendell Drummond, Anderson, S. C., and Philip J. Frickert, Hebron, Ohio, assignors to Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application December 4, 1953, Serial No. 396,137

6 Claims. (Cl. 57-2) This invention relates to the production of staple c'ordage and more particularly to a method and apparatus for the continuous production of staple cordage formed from open-ended loops of fibrous material wherein the loops are staggered along the cordage mass with the arms of each successive loop intertwisted among the arms of previous loops.

The invention principally consists in a method and apparatus for continuously providing and feeding the open-ended loops of strand or fibrous material into staggered relationship and along a longitudinal path extending generally in the direction of the nips of the loops and thus providing a continuous supply of open-ended loops which are then led to suitable twisting" mechanism and intertwisted to form staple cordage.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a simplified somewhat schematic view of apparatus for carrying out the invention and illustrating the formation of a glass fiber staple cordage according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken from the position indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view in perspective illustrating the formation of loops and their association according to the process of the invention and upon the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a modification of the process and apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4' but illustrating yet another modification and process of the apparatus of the invention.

In describing the invention, apparatus and process suitable for its practice in the formation of staple cordage from glass fiber strands will be used as illustrative. in Fig. 1 there is shown a glass melter having a plurality of orifices 11 through which streams of molten glass are flowed to form individual glass fibers 12. The fibers 12 are led as a group over a guide 13 where they may be coated with a suitable coating substance, such as a binder, adhesive, or lubricant, dripped onto the guide 13 from a nozzle 14 connected to a coating substance supply tank 15. Grouping the fibers 12 together forms a strand 16 which is led downwardly through a suitable guide eye 17 and engaged with a flyer 18 of a cap winder mechanism generally indicated at 19.

The cap winder 19 has a disk-like cap 20 which is rotated on a vertical axis formed by a main drive shaft 21 driven through gearing 22 by a drive motor 23. The flyer 18 on the cap 20 thus is revolved around by the cap 20 at a substantial speed. The strand engaged with the flyer 18 is looped by the flyer 18 around the generally cylindrical shape formed by a plurality of belts or chains 24 which are mounted upon lower pulleys 25 and upper pulleys (not shown) and driven through suitable gearing so that the outer spans of the belts 24 move downwardly in unison.

As the flyer 18 wraps each loop of strand around the exterior of the group of belts 24, since the belts 24 are simultaneously moving downwardly, there is thus generated a helix of diameter equal to the distance between diametrically opposed ones of the belts 24. As the flyer 18 continues to rotate and the belts 24 continue to move downwardly, a continuous helix of the strand 16 is generated upon and moved downwardly by the belts 24.

As disk cutter 26 is supported upon a bracket 27 at one side of the cap winder 19 and peripherally engaged with one of the belts or chains 24 so that it is engaged by and severs each loop of the helix formed by the strand 16 as it is fed downwardly on the belts 24. Referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the strand 16 moves longitudinally until it is engaged with the flyer 18 and then that it is wrapped in the progressive loops of an open helix which simultaneously moves downwardly engaging the cutter 26 which severs the loops of strand at the point generally indicated by the reference number 28 in Fig. 3. When the loops of strand, for example, a loop 29 (Fig. 3), is cut free of the helix by the cutter 26, gravity causes it to fall off the belts 24 with which it has heretofore been engaged and which had been feeding it downwardly as one of the loops in the helix.

A trough 30 (see also Fig. 2) which is shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, is located beneath the cap winder 19 and in position to receive each of the loops 29 as it falls downwardly after being severed. The axis of the trough 30 extends diametrically of the cap winder 19 leading from a point beneath the cutter 26 across beneath the cap winder and terminating at a point opposite from the cutter 26. At this front end of the trough 30 it is cut away as generally indicated by the reference number 31 in Figs. 2 and 3 so that the nip or portion of the loop connecting its two arms together, protrudes through the opening 31 of the trough 36 when the loop 29 falls into the trough 34 In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. l-3 a pair of feeding rollers 32 are positioned upon parallel vertical shafts 33 driven, for example, by an auxiliary motor 34 at the opening 31 in the trough 30. As can best be seen in Fig. 2 the rollers 32 are tapered so that their upper ends have a diameter less than the diameter of their lower ends. The surfaces of the two rollers throughout perhaps the majority of their length, however, are cylindrical and are frictionally engaged with each other.

As the loop 29 falls into the trough 30 and its nip drops through the opening 31, it frictionally engages the two rollers 32 and is pulled forwardly between the two rollers 32 which are rotated in opposite directions to feed the loop away from the trough 30. Since successive loops of strand are cut by the cutter 26 as each loop of the helix of strand is moved downwardly, each successive open-ended loop 29 drops into the trough 30 and its nip is engaged between the rollers 32 slightly later than a preceding loop and slightly earlier than a succeeding loop. As the loops 29 fall into the trough 30 and are engaged by the rollers 32', they are, therefore, staggered with relation to each other, the arms of each loop overlapping the nips and portions of the arms of a larger number of succeeding loops and being overlapped by the arms of a considerable number of preceding loops.

By grasping the nips of earlier fed loops with some form of hook or other device, an operator can manually apply a slight twist to the intertangied loops and lead them to suitable twisting and /or packaging mechanism which is conventional in the cordage art and, therefore, not illustrated in the drawings. As soon as the twister starts to twist the loops together the twist travels back along the mass of loops of strand generally indicated by the reference number 35 in Figs. 1 and 3, intertwisting the loops which have been partially pulled out from between the rollers 32 with each other and with the ends of the arms of the loops fully removed from between the rollers 32, the intertwisting of the loops providing for sufficient tensile strength to carry successive loops away from the rollers 32. The feeding action of the rollers 32, of course, assures that each loop will be fed forwardly until and as it is entangled with previously fed loops.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a modification of the invention wherein a strand 36 similarly is fed longitudinally and then formed into a progressive helix by the action of the cap winder 19 and moved downwardly by the cap winder 19 until each of the loops of the helix is successively severed by a cutter 37. A loop 38 just severed by the cutter 37 is shown in Fig. 4 as falling into a catching trough 39 shown therein in broken lines.

In this modification of the invention each of the successively severed loops, for instance a previously severed loop 40, is caught by one of a plurality of spaced picker pins 41 of a belt type picker 42. The picker 42 is so positioned that its pins enter the front end of the trough 39 in position and in time to catch the just severed one of the loops of strand and pull it longitudinally out of the trough 39. Each pin 4'1 of the picker 42 thus picks up one of the severed, open-ended loops and feeds it with its arms trailing along a longitudinal path which leads away from the cap winder 19 in a direction opposed to the location of the cutter 37.

After the picker 42 has caught a plurality of staggered loops the operator again catches them with a suitable instrument and applies a slight twist carrying the mass generally indicated at 43 over to suitable twisting mechanism (not shown) which applies twist to the staggered loops intertwisting their ends and forming a staple cordage, the twist of which carries back to the mass of staggered loops as they leave the picker 42. In Fig. 4 there also is shown a table 44 having a pick depressing end indicated at 45 which may, for example, bend each of the pick fingers 41 backwardly allowing the particular loop of strand hooked thereby to be freely carried along over the table 44 and into the inter-twisted cordage 43.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modification of the invention wherein successive loops of strand are engaged by a continuous strand to move them longitudinally away and into the twist created by the twister until they are grasped by the intertwisting of previously pulled loops and twisted to form a mass of cordage 46. In the method of the invention as shown in Fig. 5 and as practiced on apparatus illustrated in Fig. 5, a strand 47 is fed by the cap Winder 19 to form a progressing helix and carried downwardly until each of its successive loops is severed by a cutter 48. In Fig. 5 a just severed loop 49 and a previously severed loop 50 are shown as falling under the action of gravity into a collecting trough 51. The collecting trough 51, like the troughs 3t] and 39 in Figs. 1-3 and 4, is open at its forward end so that the nips of severed, open-ended loops of strand fall through the open upper end of the trough 51.

According to the invention as illustrated in Fig. 5 a continuous strand 52 which may be a continuous strand of the same material as the loops 49 and 50, for example a glass fiber strand, or which may be of a diiferent material having different characteristics as desired, is made available from a spool or ball or other package 53 and led over suitable guides 54 into a tank 55 containing a coating material 56. The tank 55 may be heated, for instance by a burner 57, if the coating material contained therein is one requiring hot application.

After it has been coated the strand is led upwardly over a guide roller 53 positioned beneath the trough 51 so that the strand 52 carrying the tacky coating material is engaged by the nip of each of the successive loops 49 and 50 and adhered thereto. The strand 52 is led away longitudinally from the guide roller 58 carrying the open-' ended loops along with it and, under the action of the twister (not shown), being intertwisted therewith into the interior of the cordage 46. The continuous strand 52 thus serves both the functions of picking up and carrying forward the severed loops and of longitudinally reinforcing the cordage.

We claim:

1. A method for forming staple cordage that comprises serially moving a plurality of open-ended, planar loops of strand in a direction generally perpendicular to their plane and with the nips thereof moving along a defined pathway, bringing the arms of the loops together and moving each loop in turn along a path extending along a line connecting the nip and the severed ends of the arms of the loop, moving successive loops along such path with the nips thereof spaced only slightly and progressively twisting the loops together as they move along such path.

2. A method for forming staple cordage that comprises continuously forming a strand into a helix of uniform diameter, moving said helix along its axes, severing each turn of the helix at a certain point on a line parallel to the axis, grasping the nips of each of the loops of strand formed by completely severed turns of the helix, moving the nips and loops progressively along a path leading away from the helix oppositely from the severing point, and progressively twisting the loops together as they are moved along the path.

3. Apparatus for forming staple cordage, said apparatus comprising, means for forming a continuously available series of open-ended loops of strand with their free ends lying adjacent each other, means for grasping the loops at points remote from the free ends and for feeding the loops along a path extending away from the free ends, and a twister for progressively twisting said loops together as they move along such path.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the means for grasping and feeding the loops is a picker means having spaced pickers and that moves at a speed and along a line to engage successive loops on successive pickers.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the strand loop grasping and feeding means is a pair of co-acting rollers.

6. Apparatus according to claim 3 and means for feeding an adhesive coated continuous strand up to the point of entry of said loops into the path extending away from the free ends thereof and into engagement at spaced points with such loops, and then along such path and to the twister, whereby said loops are successively adhered to said continuous strand in spaced overlapping relation and twisted therewith and together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,227,911 Pool Jan. 7, 1941 2,262,984 Abbott Nov. 18, 1941 2,492,306 Mackie Dec. 27, 1949 2,584,517 Verreet Feb. 5, 1952 

